by Heather Dickson

Created on: May 28, 2011   Last Updated: May 31, 2011

As the saying goes, “Only two things are certain in life: Death and Taxes.” Perhaps inflation should would be a welcome addition to that adage. Most of us can remember when the dollar went much further at the grocery store. Twenty years ago, in 1991, a gallon of milk cost on average $2.80, while a dozen eggs cost around $1.00. Today, we can easily expect to pay over $4.00 for that same gallon of milk. Prices have skyrocketed on all consumable products and the worst part is, they just keep going up! While very few retail establishments still offer the doubling of cents-off coupons, collecting and using coupons is still one excellent way to save money on your grocery bill.

Grocery coupons are not limited to the Sunday paper. There are several free or very inexpensive ways to obtain coupons:

Coupon Clubs – These are mainly internet-based small groups of people who organize round-robin type coupon trades. This sort of group is very popular on Yahoo (see http://www.groups.yahoo.com and search for “Coupon Trading”). Depending how many of these groups you join and participate in, you can receive envelopes stuffed with money-saving coupons every few days to monthly. When you receive your coupons, you take out and keep the ones you need, place in others that you have clipped and send it along to the next person. Not only is it a good way to get the coupons you need or want, it's also a fun way to make new friends who are also interested in saving money!

eBay – While one may think of eBay when it comes to selling off those clothes that are too small or dated, or picking up some hard to find collectable, it is also a good source for obtaining coupons in bulk. It should be noted that eBay's policies, as well as manufacturer's printed statements specifically prohibit the sale of coupons for cash. However – the way coupon clippers get around this barrier is by giving the coupons away for free, only having the bidder pay for shipping and handling (usually $0.45 to $1.00 at the most). This method is perfectly legal and does not breach policies from either the manufacturer or eBay. The value of the coupons you receive in these auctions will always far exceed the cost you paid for postage to receive them. Coupons you obtain in this manner may have one or two expireds in the package, however the “Sellers” do make every effort to avoid including short-lived coupons in their auctions. Expired coupons bring negative feedback and the Sellers do not want this, so you can be sure you are safe from getting unusable coupons.

Manufacturer Websites – If you have certain brands that you use consistently, going straight to the manufacturer's websites to look for offers can often bring you coupons with much higher value than what you would normally find in the newspaper. Some websites may be bold about their money-saving offers (Click Here To Save!), while some may not be so open about such things being available. By going to their Feedback or Contact section, you may directly ask for coupons to be mailed (or in some cases e-mailed) to you for use at your local grocer. In many cases, you may also ask for and receive coupons for a free product, which is a price you certainly can't beat!

Knowing where to look for money-saving opportunities such as these will drastically reduce your grocery bill if you apply the knowledge and make coupon hunting part of your grocery routine.

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